8 hurt, 42 vehicles damaged as tempo workers enforce strike in Barisal

The injured persons include three policemen. Two persons were abducted allegedly by tempo workers during the clashes.

A child was injured when hit by a tempo at Guachitra on Barisal- Banaripara road Sunday morning. Local people stopped plying of tempo on the road. The injured child was sent to Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital.

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Three leaders of Barisal Tempo Sramik Union went there for negotiation. The victim's relatives demanded Tk 50,000 as compensation. As the leaders refused, they were assaulted, injured and driven away.

The Union then called the half-day strike from Monday morning in the city and on roads to Banaripara and Babuganj.

Clashes with local people began at Guachitra when some tempo workers from Barisal went there Monday morning and tried to block the road with the help of fellow workers.

Tempo workers ransacked two buses and injured a passenger, Jaglu Mridha.

As police came, the unruly tempo workers assaulted SI Shamsul Huq and two others.

The agitated people then damaged about 40 tempos at the stand and chased the tempo workers.

While returning to Barisal, they abducted two of the injured persons named Kamrul and Nur Hossain.

The two were however handed over to Natun Bazar police outpost in the city Monday afternoon following pressure by police.

Tempo operation resumed in Barisal city Monday afternoon but remained suspended on different routes from the city till filing of the report in the evening.